Someone That You Trust
by RandyPandy
Summary: "You may run into someone that you trust and love. In this moment, you will be their only hope." What had Naga meant by that? In which Leo and Niles meet a dragon goddess and end up in a future that won't exist later, in an effort to find and protect someone very important to them.


_This morphed at least five times in my head before I settled on this iteration. I've always wanted to see a fic like this, so I ended up writing it myself. Hope y'all enjoy it._

* * *

**Someone That You Trust**

* * *

The last thing that Leo had expected upon him and Niles going out on a scouting mission outside of Windmire was to get pulled into some strange temple through a magic spell. One moment, he had been exploring with Niles. The next moment, he'd felt the trickle of magic go through him, but before he could react, he had found himself here.

He had pulled Brynhildr out, and Niles had readied an arrow, before a gentle, commanding voice had called out to them.

"Please, calm yourselves, Prince Leo, Niles."

"Who are you?" Leo had demanded. "Why have you brought us here?"

A light formed in front of the two of them, taking shape into the figure of a woman with long green hair. She had pointed ears, immediately cluing Leo into the fact that she was a dragon.

"My name is Naga," she told them. "One of the Divine Dragons."

Great. They were getting pulled into yet another mess with a dragon, though at least unlike Anankos, Naga looked like she was somewhat reasonable. Leo didn't put Brynhildr away, but he did relax his stance as Niles demanded, "Why did you bring us here."

She took a deep breath. "I require your help."

"What do you need our help for?" Leo asked, his brow furrowing. Why couldn't she ask his brother, or one of the Hoshidans? He and Niles were the last people that he would expect to be called by a dragon for assistance. Even Odin would have been ecstatic to have been called, he was sure.

"I need to take you to another place and time, to protect someone that is very important to the fate of your world," Naga told them.

"Protect someone important to the fate of our world..." Leo repeated. "Why us, though?"

Naga smiled gently at them. "It has to be the two of you. Since you will be traveling through time, I must tell you - you may run into someone that you trust and love. In this moment, you will be their only hope. This is the person that I need you to help. Once you have saved them, I will summon you back to your home." She paused. "However, I will not force you to. If you refuse, I will send you back home immediately. You have my word on this."

Niles bit his lip, turning to Leo. "Milord... I'll follow your decision."

Leo was not normally in the business of playing hero. He had helped his family defeat Anankos, though that was more him following his siblings than out of a true desire to save the world.

And yet, something inside of him lurched at the idea of refusing, a sense of existential dread.

"...I will help them," he declared his voice steady and strong. "May I have information on the place that I am going to?"

Naga looked relieved, and she smiled at them, and Leo had the oddest feeling that he had just been blessed by a goddess. "Thank you, Prince Leo. The place I am taking you to has been damaged by the Fell Dragon, Grima, and his Risen..."

* * *

It was storming.

"She could have picked a better place to dump us after explaining everything," Niles muttered, shaking his head to try to get the water off. Leo had on his armor, but he could already feel water getting inside of it, and he knew that Niles was worse off given that his outfit was all cloth. He would dry it off when they were able to get out of the rain with a spell, so he wasn't too bothered.

Leo thought of Naga's description of the 'Risen', of how they were undead corpses with red eyes and black smoke coming out of their faces, and shuddered. Whatever that 'Grima' had done to this place, it was very much a hellscape. "Well... We are here."

Naga's words about their task rang through Leo's mind, and but there was one sentence that he was trying to puzzle out.

"You may run into someone that you trust and love. In this moment, you will be their only hope."

What had she meant by that?

The sound of yelling and the stench of rotting meat hit them, and Leo's head whipped around. Niles clambered onto Leo's horse quickly, and the two of them rode as fast as they could towards the sound. Even if this wasn't who Naga had sent them to help, the more he had heard about this place, the more that he wanted to ensure that people survived.

The first thing Leo noted was that Naga's description of the Risen had been spot-on.

The second thing that he noted was that there was a person, his features too difficult to make out in the darkness and the rain, but easily visible due to his light-colored hair and the bright yellow clothing that he was wearing. While Leo couldn't say for certainty, he appeared to be a teenage boy.

The boy was on a bridge, attempting to flee the Risen, and was trying to run across to safety. However, one of the Risen fired an arrow at him, causing him to dodge. He managed to dodge it, but with the rain, something in his hand slipped, and he lunged. He managed to catch whatever it was that he had dropped, but his momentum was too great and he teetered over the side.

"Niles!" Leo screamed, but Niles, cursing, had already reacted, leaping off of Leo's horse and firing an arrow at the Risen that had attacked the teen and knocking it over the side, diving down on the bridge. Luckily, the teen's hand had managed to catch the rope of the bridge, but it was likely that he wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer.

Leo pulled Brynhildr out, casting spells on any Risen that came too close to the bridge as Niles pulled the teen to safety. He stood in between them and the Risen, hearing Niles shout, "Come on!" to the teen and yanking him off of the bridge.

"Can you fight?!" Niles yelled at the teen.

"Y-Yeah...!" Luckily, the boy did seem to know how to fight with the sword on his hip, and between the three of them, they had been able to swiftly rout the Risen. Niles had stuck near him, while Leo had gone further into the distance so that he could make sure there were no stragglers.

He cast Brynhildr one last time, the Risen screeching as it faded away, and sighed. That was the last one. Leo rode his horse back to where Niles had been with the blond boy. The storm was starting to ease up, and once that happened, Leo planned to dry off himself, Niles, and the boy, and take the boy to where he had to go.

Given the situation, and the fact that they had come across this boy just in time for Niles to pull him off of the bridge and for Leo to destroy the undead corpses that had been chasing him, this was who Naga had wanted them to save. That meant that he had to protect him and ensure that he made it to safety and did not get trapped out here in the wilderness with Risen chasing him left and right.

Niles's snow white hair, as well as the yellow clothing of the blond boy, were thankfully noticeable even with the darkness that was quickly turning into light, and Leo stopped beside the two of them, his gaze on them both.

Now that the battle was over, the boy was shaking, his face burrowed into Niles's chest. His clothing consisted of brown boots and a bright yellow coat in a shade that struck Leo as familiar. Niles's expression, which was fixed on the figure curled against him, was unreadable, and Leo noted that his retainer's arm was wrapped tightly around the teen's waist, and the other hand was in his hair as if soothing him.

"That's the last of them, Niles," Leo said, casting a quick drying spell on the three of them now that the rain had calmed down. No need for any of them to catch their death from this weather. "Is he alright?"

Niles didn't respond, instead squeezing the boy tighter against him and rubbing circles on his back.

"Niles... he's a little too young for you."

That got Niles's attention and he frowned. "Lord Leo, scoundrel I might be, but I'd never do anything with a kid!"

"I am aware of that, but you were not paying attention to me," Leo replied, amused.

A muffled snort sounded against Niles's chest at their comments. It seemed the boy, who had been hyperventilating and clearly terrified, was starting to calm down (not that Leo could blame him - one look and smell of those things which reminded him far too much of Vallites made him want to run, let alone a half-grown teen that probably hadn't suffered through a battlefield as a young child). At the very least, he had calmed down enough to laugh at their banter.

"Besides," Niles said softly. "Take a good look at who we rescued." He pulled the boy off of his chest and turned his head towards his liege.

Leo's blood turned to ice.

He was a teenager, no older than fourteen, and the clothing he was wearing was likely native to the region. He was also far too thin for a healthy teenager his age, which made Leo realize that he wasn't getting enough to eat, and he could see Naga's mark from the temple tattooed on his arm (hadn't she said that she marked the members of her bloodline with a special symbol?).

But he would know that face anywhere: the green eyes, the freckles dusting across his nose, the spiky, curly, pale blond hair... Sure, he looked much younger, but there was no doubt in Leo's mind as to who this was. "You're..."

Naga's words ran through his mind once more.

"You may run into someone that you trust and love. In this moment, you will be their only hope."

"I'm... I'm Owain Dark!" the boy - Odin - said, his voice shaky. "Future hero of lore and... and..." A sob came from him and he buried his face in his hands. "I'm alive... gods..."

Leo swept forward before Niles could react, wrapping an arm around Owain's shoulders. "Od- Owain? It's alright. You're safe now." He wasn't normally this touchy-feely with just anyone, especially children (aside from Elise), but Owain was different.

For years, Leo had wondered about Odin's background, where his retainer had come from, especially when he had not trusted him and had considered him to be a spy for his father, and had ordered Niles to look into it. Eventually, he had dismissed it: Odin was clearly loyal to him and not to his father, and was competent, powerful, and talented, even if he spoke like someone from a play sometimes. That quirk, while annoying at first, was something he and Niles had gotten used to, and now Leo could not imagine life without Odin by his side.

He was still curious, and he knew that Niles was still curious given how often the other tried to get Odin to let something slip or to try to dig something up. Never had the man found anything, and he'd begun to feel that he never would find anything. They'd even suspected that 'Odin' was not even his real name, which was fine - he must have had his reasons. Aside from Niles, if Leo was ever asked who his best friend was, he would readily and easily answer that it was Odin.

Realization slammed into him as he remembered a conversation that he'd had with Odin some time ago, during the war.

"And the legends of the spirits haunting the Woods of the Forlorn are terrible..." Leo grimaced, though Odin shrugged.

"Eh, they're not so bad. Better than the Risen."

"'Risen'?" Leo had never heard that term before.

Odin hesitated, his eyes flickering away from Leo. "...Wild animals from my homeland."

Leo sense the lie, but he didn't call him out. Surely he had his reasons, and Odin's past was not what they were talking about, but their friendship. "I see."

He didn't blame him. How could he have described these abominations?

And speaking of Risen, they needed to get out of here. There could still be Risen around here. Leo and Niles hadn't saved a younger version of Odin from a horrific death only to lose him out of carelessness. Leo brushed a tear from Owain's eye with a gloved gauntlet, before Owain sniffled and wiped at his eyes, pushing Leo's hand away.

"Let's find somewhere safe," Leo ordered Niles, keeping a firm grip on Owain's shoulder. "I know that you and I are tired, and Owain here must be exhausted. We'll get some rest and then we'll go to..." He glanced down at the teen, who was starting to lean heavily against his side. At least he didn't seem to be injured beyond some scrapes and bumps. "Is there anywhere that I can take you, Owain?"

"Um... if possible, Ylisstol," Owain said, eyeing him carefully. "I hail from Ylisstol, the capital city of Ylisse, and I must find those of my sacred blood."

"Right, Ylisstol." Wherever that was. "We'll guide Owain to Ylisstol and then figure out what to do next," Leo decided, his eyes flickering down to the mark on Owain's arm for a moment. "Are you able to ride a horse, Owain? I am..." He paused. "Not from around here, and I'm unsure of the way to Ylisstol."

"I can," Owain answered. "But if you head southeast, across the river, we'll eventually come across the main road between Ylisse and Plegia."

"Alright. Then we'll get on my horse, and we will find somewhere safe to spend the night before traveling." He gestured towards the animal, and Owain hesitated before he followed Leo. The Nohrian prince climbed on, and reached a hand down to help Owain up, settling the teen in front of him.

Owain was so short, and despite the muscles he could see on the other's arms, he was far too thin for a boy of his size. He remembered how tall Odin had been, how well-fed, and he shared a glance with Niles. They had to get Owain somewhere safe, where he could be taken care of.

He smoothed Owain's fluffy hair, feeling the other stiffen at the motion before relaxing, before he picked the reins up. "Try not to fall. Niles, will you be fine on the ground?"

"Of course, milord." Then again, Niles had never been good with animals; there was a reason why he had always had Odin fetch his horse instead of Niles.

"So... who might be my saviors?" Owain asked, turning back to look over at Leo.

Of course. They had forgotten to introduce themselves. He debated whether he wanted to tell Owain their real names, but figured that it couldn't hurt. "I am Leo, and this is my retainer, Niles. A pleasure to meet you, Owain."

* * *

Owain had dozed off during the ride, with Leo only having noticed when the other's head bumped against his chest. He had glanced down, startled, and bit his lip when he saw what had happened. Sighing, he wrapped his arm around Owain's waist to keep him from falling off as he heard Niles chuckle briefly.

If this had been adult Odin, he would have gotten irritated and jabbed him in the sides to wake him up. But right now, Owain was a scared child who probably had not slept well in days. Leo would have asked where his parents were, but given the place they had ended up in and what Owain had been fighting, he was starting to suspect that Owain had been orphaned.

After some time, they'd come across a village - destroyed, Leo had realized - but as soon as he had shaken Owain, the teen had blinked tiredly, glanced at the village and then hopped off of the horse.

"If the luck of the gods are with us, we'll find treasures! Such as a place to sleep, or stores of untouched food!" The ride and nap seemed to have rejuvenated him, and he had scampered off. Luckily, Owain didn't go too far, and Leo would notice him looking back at them as if reassuring himself that they were still there.

How long had Owain been alone? Leo wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.

"Milord," Niles said softly as they followed Owain from a distance. "There's blood and weaponry everywhere, but there are no bodies."

Leo frowned as he looked around. Niles was right. His eyes flickered over to Owain again, who, while he didn't look happy, didn't seem to think that what he had encountered was anything unusual. Then again, with Naga saying that anyone that died only caused the Risen forces to grow...

What kind of hellscape had his future retainer grown up in?

He didn't get a chance to say anything to Niles as Owain ran back up to them. "Shelter awaits!" He grabbed Leo's hand, prompting the prince to let out an undignified yelp as Owain pulled him along like a kid pulling their parent or sibling.

"O- Owain! Slow down!"

"You're fighting a losing battle when it comes to him, milord," Niles snorted, grabbing Leo's horse by the reins and following the two of them as Owain led them to a building with the door open, but still on its hinges. He tied the horse to a post outside and stepped in.

It was a house, with the contents spilled everywhere, but it was free of blood. That was a small relief, at least.

There were some old blankets and other types of cloth sheets around, and Leo helped Owain and Niles place them on the ground for the three of them to sleep on. He had no idea how long Naga would keep him and Niles here, but he desperately hoped that it was after they got Owain back to people that could take care of him. The teen was pretending to be aloof, but Leo could see the relief in his eyes every time he looked over and they were still there.

Owain was lonely, and loneliness could be extremely damaging to one's mental state.

Once the blankets had been setup, Leo rummaged around the house and found a container of what appeared to be dried fruit. It wasn't the most filling dinner for them, but it was still edible, and Owain was looking like a skeleton at this point. He handed the entire container to Owain. "Here, this is yours."

The boy took it in surprise, and eyed the two of them. "My thanks, but what about-"

"'Sokay, kid," Niles said, grinning at him. "We had some meat before we found you; if milord says this batch of food is yours, it's yours. You're way too skinny. You need to fill out before you're more attractive."

Owain glanced down at himself, and shrugged. "If you insist..."

Leo ignored his own hunger - Owain needed the food more, and he still had a few rations - and frowned as he heard the rain start to pour again; it looked like they had managed to find shelter just in time.

"...So... Lord Leo and Niles, was it?" Owain eyed the two of them, biting into a dried apple slice. "I am aware that you are a lord, given Niles addressing you as 'milord', and that he is your retainer. Are you a Plegian noble, Lord Leo? Your armor bares resemblance to that of a Plegian Dark Knight."

Leo shook his head. "I'm a Dark Knight and a noble, yes, but I'm not a Plegian." Whatever that was. "We're from one of the other continents, but Niles and I have simply been wandering for quite some time. What about you, Owain? Where are you from?"

Owain paused mid-bite. "Do you truly not know?"

Niles, who had been checking out the window for trouble, glanced down at Owain at that statement, and Leo raised his eyebrow. "Should I?"

"Well," Owain's gaze suddenly became nervous, and his eyes darted around the room. "I saw you staring at my Brand, and I thought you recognized it, but I suppose that is not the case."

"I'm afraid not, Owain," Leo replied, relaxing against a wall and wondering what had made the teen so anxious. By 'Brand' he had to mean the mark of Naga on his arm. "Should we?"

"You did save me at great risk to yourselves, and if I'm truly a stranger to you..." The teen seemed to grapple with himself for a moment, as if debating whether he should tell them. "Alright. I have already mentioned my name is Owain. I am formerly Prince Owain, Second Prince of Ylisse and third in line for the Ylissean throne."

Leo stared at him, and he could sense that Niles was staring as well.

Owain blinked at them, clearly puzzled and nervous. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing," Leo said smoothly, snapping out of his stupor. His retainer was a prince? "I simply wasn't expecting to run into you, milord."

Niles made an undignified choking sound, and Owain turned as red as a tomato as well.

"...Please don't," Owain whispered. "I told you. Formerly."

Formerly. That indicated that he had been royalty, but had lost his status for one reason or another. If the throne was hostilely taken over, or if the one in question had fallen from grace, then such a thing could happen. Given the state of the world, and the fact that Owain had been wandering around on his own, he wouldn't be surprised if Owain's home and throne no longer existed.

"What happened?" Leo asked, and Owain flinched.

"Ylisse burned when Grima returned."

Leo and Niles stared at him. They'd heard from Naga that Grima, not entirely dissimilar to their situation with Anankos, had also attempted to destroy the world; unlike with Anankos, though, Grima had been mostly successful.

"But why are you going to Ylisstol, then, if it burned?" Leo asked slowly.

"I need to find my cousins," Owain said. "I-I've been keeping an ear out for any type of news. I heard that my aunt died, but nothing was said about my cousins."

"Cousins," Niles said, pouncing on the statement, and Leo resisted the urge to swat him. Trust Niles to be more interested in poking and prodding at Owain's past than anything else. "You have cousins? No one else?"

Owain flinched again, setting the tin of dried fruit down. "My uncle, the Exalt, was assassinated when I was a child, and Aunt Olivia died not long after that. My mother passed away sometime afterwards, and my father passed away several months ago. But my cousins, Lucina and Inigo, might still be alive. Especially Luci - she was one of Naga's favorites. And Inigo... I'm not sure what I would do if Inigo was dead. We were always very close."

"We'll keep an eye out for them," Leo promised, wondering if Odin's cousins were still alive. "What do they look like?"

"...I suppose if you didn't recognize me, you wouldn't recognize them either," Owain said slowly. "Very well. Both of them have blue hair, and both of them have the Brand in one eye. Lucina... she has blue eyes and is about two years older than me. Her hair is long. She's always been rather formal, but kind, and after everyone else in line for the throne died, we considered her our leader. Inigo has brown eyes, and is a year younger than me. His hair comes down to his shoulders. He's... a bit of a flirt and a dancer."

"Crown princess and crown prince respectively, I'm assuming?" Leo asked, filing away the descriptions. Inigo's reminded him of-

"Lucina is the Exalt now, though there isn't really a country to be Exalt of..." Owain sighed, and he closed the tin of fruit.

"You should finish that," Leo told him, gesturing to the tin.

"Who knows when I will find sustenance next?" Owain replied, shaking his head. "I will save it."

"Suit yourself." As long as he ate it eventually, because he was not going to have Owain starve to death. Leo tried to make himself comfortable on the blankets on the ground.

"Milord, I'll take first watch," Niles told them. "You two rest. Especially you, Owain," he said flatly as Owain opened his mouth to protest. "You're in the worst shape of us all. I promise I'll wake you both up if something happens."

"Fine," Leo said, laying down. "I will take second watch." He had no intentions of waking Owain.

Owain huffed at them both, but at the glares from both Niles and Leo, he obediently placed his sword to the side and lay down, curling up.

* * *

Niles had eventually woken Leo up for second watch, and neither of them had made any motions to disturb Owain. The two of them had spoken quietly as Niles had settled down to get some rest.

"...When I wanted to dig up details of his past, this isn't what I was expecting," Niles murmured quietly. "This? This is a damned nightmare of a life. Growing up in this hellscape... I'm surprised he turned out the way he did."

Leo looked over at the teen, curled up and asleep on the blanket, and resisted the urge to run his fingers through his hair as if he was Elise. "Niles, he wouldn't have survived if we had not interfered. You saw what happened. He fell off of that bridge and only didn't plunge to his death because you grabbed him and we stopped the Risen." Leo gritted his teeth. "He almost died. The man that became as dear to me as you, and he almost died before I met him."

"Yeah," Niles grimaced. "...Remember when we met Odin? He seemed to happy to see us, seemed to have some parts of our personalities down pat, no matter how much we tried to drive him away. You don't think he ends up remembering us from here, do you?" That damned goddess had to have known about their relationship with Odin, or she wouldn't have specifically asked them for help - she could have easily asked one of the Hoshidans, or even Leo's brother, Xander.

"He might," Leo mused. "He is not stupid, no matter how much he plays the fool." He'd seen bits and pieces of the theatrical personality that Odin had in Owain, but either Owain didn't really talk like that yet or something else happened later that made him retreat further into that particular shell.

"Milord, the more I look at Owain, the more I want to have my way with him and steal him from here. Let someone else deal with this. I want him safe," Niles said, trying to relax on the bedroll.

"I know," Leo said, his voice quiet and pained. He ignored Niles's innuendo; the other was always like that, and he knew he wouldn't do anything inappropriate with Owain. "I wish I could, as well. But we can't simply just do that. He needs to find his way to us on his own."

Niles is silent for awhile, having shifted his body so that he was looking at Owain. The teen was quietly snoring, his body fully relaxed for the first time since Niles and Leo had seen him. "You know," he said slowly. "I wasn't expecting a swordsman. He's got some skills with his sword like we saw, but he doesn't seem to know an ounce of magic."

"No," Leo agreed. "He must pick up magic later in his life. I remember when he went the Dark Knight route, and excitedly mentioned how he was happy to pick up a sword again for the first time in years."

"He would, wouldn't he," Niles snorted, closing his eyes. "That moron." His voice was fond. "Well, milord, I'm going to catch up on my sleep."

Leo nodded. "Goodnight, Niles. I'll wake you both if anything happens."

* * *

After raiding the rest of the town for as many supplies as they could carry - thankfully, a few of the houses had had some canned foods - they had set off again. It was going to be a long trip, and who knew when they would find another village with supplies to stop at.

Their journey towards Ylisstol remained much of the same. Occasionally, all three of them walked while Leo led his horse, or Owain rode with Leo, or Leo rode while Owain walked with Niles, excitedly chattering to the two of them all the while. It was almost endearing to watch, and while Owain was still a chatterbox at this age, he hadn't completely adopted that strange way of speaking.

They would run into Risen every once in awhile, but the packs of them were not that huge, and both Leo and Niles were able to make quick work of them. Owain helped, as well, and Leo could see the traces of a sword form in his body, similar to the one that he had adopted upon becoming a Dark Knight. It was still somewhat sloppy, almost as if he wasn't used to fighting, but he was quickly getting better.

After traveling for several more days, the trio had found another village to rest up in, and after settling down, Leo had used a Fire spell so that they could cook the animal that they had hunted.

"At least it's not vegetables," Owain had muttered, and Leo had had to keep himself from laughing as Niles almost choked on his food.

"Don't worry, Owain, we probably won't be having vegetables anytime soon," Niles snickered. Owain's hatred of vegetables was eternal, from the looks of things.

"By the way, Lord Leo..." Owain's voice trailed off, and Leo raised his head, looking at him.

"Yes, Owain?"

"That..." He gestured to the fire. "I mean, I know that you can perform magic, since you were using spells against the Risen, but earlier, I saw you use a Nosferatu spell when you got hurt... are you a scion of the dark arts?"

"I am," Leo said, wondering where this conversation was going.

"That's so cool!" Owain squeaked, almost making Leo jump in surprise. "I've always wanted to try magic, especially Dark magic!"

"You've never tried magic?" Leo asked, tilting his head. Niles had perked up in interest again.

Owain shook his head, leaning his head against his knee. "No, I never had the opportunity."

Odd. Even if Owain wasn't a mage at the moment, he felt sure that the other would have at least tried his hand at a Fire spell or two. Odin, he knew was a master at magic, especially Lightning magic, and was noticeably skilled in Dark magic as well. At fourteen years old, surely someone had started teaching him at this point in time?

But then he thought about the situation of this world, the situation that he had found Owain in. Who would teach Owain magic? Who would start nurturing the small seed of potential inside of him that would blossom into one of the most talented mages that Leo had ever met?

He made a decision.

"Come here, Owain," Leo said suddenly, and the teen perked up and he scooted over to Leo's side. Leo rummaged in his pack to pull his tomes out, and he saw Owain brighten as he saw them all. The teen reached out to grab Brynhildr, causing Leo to smack his hand in alarm.

"Owain, no! Don't touch that!" he snapped, yanking Brynhildr away.

Owain flinched and visibly deflated, pulling his hand back. "My apologies, I just-"

"No, my apologies," Leo said with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as he put Brynhildr back in his pack. "I did not want you to touch Brynhildr due to the fact that Brynhildr is... notoriously picky about who it allows to wield it. It can and has killed people it did not deem worthy." That wasn't even the full explanation, but it would have to do. "I was concerned about your safety, hence why I stopped you."

To his surprise, Owain laughed and grinned up at him. "I'm not upset, Lord Leo. My father was the same way when I was younger and would try to pick up one of his tomes or other objects."

"Your father was a mage?" Niles blurted out the question on Leo's mind.

"A Sorcerer from Plegia extremely gifted in Dark magic," Owain explained. "He promised he would teach me when he deemed me old enough, but he never got the opportunity. My mother was a cleric though she knew some magic as well, but she also died before she could teach me." A flicker of sadness crossed Owain's expression before it disappeared. "Anyways! I've always wanted to learn about magic."

"Then I will teach you some," Leo decided; he was not going to let Owain's potential sit here, untapped, when he knew what it could become. "I happen to have a Fire tome on me, and that is one of the easiest tomes to master where I come from. I'll start you off with that one, so let's go outside so that we don't accidentally burn our shelter down."

Owain leapt up and bounded outside, clearly excited. "I'm going to learn magic!" he gushed as he pumped his fist in the air. "This is so exciting!"

Niles laughed. "Look at how eager he is, Lord Leo. I think you're going to have a wonderful pupil in your hands~."

It was still fairly dark outside, but Leo cast a spell that formed a small sphere of light, which he used as a lantern, so that the two of them could see. Niles disappeared into the shadows to keep an eye out for Risen or anything else, as Leo handed the tome to Owain.

"The first thing that you have to be aware of, Owain, is that magic is both hereditary and yet still requires a lot of willpower. The fact that both of your parents were magic-capable helps tip the odds in your favor, but willpower is required for you to be able to cast. Simple spells like Fire don't require too much, but when you get into more complicated spells such as Excalibur, or dark tomes such as Nosferatu, they can drain you very quickly if you allow them to," Leo explained.

Owain, for once, was silent and all ears, listening eagerly as Leo spoke. "I'm assuming that Brynhildr is like them, as well?"

"Brynhildr is unique," Leo told him. "It only accepts one person at a time. I became it's current owner after a lot of trial, error, and heartache." He didn't really want to get into the story of when and how he had discovered he was Brynhildr's current chosen. "Here, take this Fire tome." He handed it to him. "Now face away from everything else, and reach deep inside of your magical core."

"How would I do that?" Owain asked, obediently following Leo's instructions as best as he could.

"It may take some practice, but I find that closing your eyes and speaking out loud helps if you are a beginner."

Nodding, Owain closed his eyes, and Leo watched him as his face took on several different expressions, before he opened his eyes and held his hand out. "Fire!"

Something that looked vaguely like a flame flickered in Owain's hand for a split second before it dissipated. Owain frowned, clearly disappointed.

"It's a start," Leo said, patting him on the shoulder. "Most mages do not even get that much in their first attempt. Let us keep trying a little longer."

After some more trial and error, Leo was able to train Owain into casting a weak Fire spell that would dissipate several feet away. One time, Owain accidentally setting a fence on fire due to channeling too much of his magical core on accident, which Leo had to quickly put out with a well-timed Fimbulvetr spell. Not for the first time, Leo was thankful that he carried tomes of the other elements around with him in his pack when he traveled by horseback.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight," Leo sighed, critically studying the fence that had miraculously survived, though looked far more beaten up than it had a few hours ago. "We will continue our journey to Ylisstol tomorrow and I will teach you more once we stop for the night." He held his hand out.

"Alright..." Owain frowned again, looking sad, but he handed the Fire tome to Leo.

"Niles!" Leo called, and the Adventurer appeared out of one of the shadows. "We'll be resting for the night."

As they made their way inside, Niles looped an arm around Owain's shoulders and pulled him close. "I was watching your little lesson. Kid's a natural, isn't he?"

Owain flushed, both at the proximity and at the praise, looking pleased. "My thanks, but Lord Leo's an excellent teacher too, I'm sure!"

Leo turned away so that neither Niles nor Owain would see him blush. He hadn't taught anyone magic since he had given Elise a crash course during the war; the majority of the army had not used traditional Nohrian magic, and of those that did, he had only had to teach Elise. Nyx had far more knowledge in magic than even he did, and Odin had already come to Nohr knowing how magic worked (and now he had a reason to suspect what had caused Odin to pursue those studies).

But teaching Owain... it felt good.

* * *

Leo knew that his journey was going to come to an end soon when he spotted the sign pointing towards Ylisstol, less than 100 kilometers away, in the village that they had stopped at this time. Weeks had passed since he and Niles had first found Owain, and the boy had opened up quite a bit to him. Once Leo had started teaching him magic, Owain's sheer admiration of him had caught him off-guard.

In either case, Owain was an eager student, talented and dedicated, and he had soon mastered the Fire spell that Leo had taught him, and was starting on Thunder magic. They'd also picked up a Wind tome (Leo had never seen a basic Wind tome like this one before) so that Owain would hopefully be able to practice that one, too.

More information about Owain's past had come out, as well. The Plegian Sorcerer that he'd claimed as his father was named Henry, who'd been an orphan up until he had joined Exalt Chrom's (Owain's uncle's) militia group many years ago. Owain's mother, on the other hand, was named Lissa, younger sister of Owain's uncle and had become Exalt temporarily after the assassination of Chrom until her death.

The reason Owain had been out there on his own was due to the fact that he and his father had not been in Ylisse when it had burned; they'd traveled to a remote region of Ylisse to check up on some friends of theirs. The two of them had tried to run back to Ylisse when they had been beseiged by a group of Risen. They had managed to defeat them, but a stray Risen archer had fired an arrow at Owain, and Owain's father had thrown himself between it and his son, while casting a spell to destroy it.

The Risen had been defeated, but Owain's father had died from the injury, and Owain had been on his own ever since.

All three of them were sitting on the grass as Leo's horse drank some water from the nearby stream, and Owain had curled up against Niles, who had looped an arm around his waist. If it weren't for the fact that Niles wasn't that much of a scoundrel, Leo would have scolded him for becoming touchy with Owain.

The fact that Owain had become comfortable with the two of them so quickly both pleased and unnerved Leo. Sure, they wouldn't hurt the teen, knowing who he was, but what if it had been someone else? Someone that, upon learning that Owain was a prince, had held him for ransom?

Leo had pulled out one of his tomes, debating what he was going to teach Owain next, when he heard the teen speak up. "You're going to leave me soon, aren't you?"

Niles stiffened, and Leo bit his lip. "What makes you say that?"

Owain didn't meet their eyes. "Call it a hunch. It's obvious. Neither of you two are from around here nor did either of you intend to head to Ylisstol. Once you take me to Ylisstol, you will both disappear into the night, like legendary heroes."

"Do you not want us to leave?" Niles asked slowly. Owain reached up and took hold of Niles's cloak and shook his head.

"...No. But I have already accepted my fate in that you will have to." He clenched Niles's cloak, and Niles pulled him closer against his body.

Leo stood up and made his way over to Owain and Niles, gently placing his fingers underneath Owain's chin and tilting his head up. Owain was clearly upset, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, but he was trying to put a brave face on.

"Owain," Leo said, his voice quiet. "Even though we'll have to leave once we get you to Ylisstol, I promise to you that we will see each other again. And when that day comes, you will be our cherished friend. Even if circumstances are strange and not at all what you or I had imagined, I promise that we will meet, oh legendary hero of darkness."

He smirked at him as Owain snickered at the title. "Legendary hero of darkness... that's a cool title. Perhaps next time we meet, I'll have made myself a secret identity and you won't know who I am! Maybe something like Orsin, or Oswin, or Odin... Odin sounds pretty cool, don't you think?"

Leo's heart panged, and he forced a chuckle out. "Perhaps you will," Leo replied, releasing his chin. "You're a brilliant young man, Owain, intelligent, kind, and someone that Niles and I are honored to know. We promise you that we will see you again, but you must promise us that you will never give up, that you will live, and that one day, when you get the opportunity, you will come find us."

Owain nodded seriously. "I promise, Lord Leo, Niles. Our bonds will be eternal, throughout space and time."

Typical Owain speech. Leo nodded and clasped Owain's shoulder for a moment as Niles ruffled the teen's hair.

* * *

Finally, they had arrived in Ylisstol.

And Leo could see that it had burned. The majority of the city had extensive fire damage, and he couldn't find a single building that had been left untouched. He gripped Owain's shoulder when he felt the other stiffen up, his gaze landing on the burned remains of a palace in the center of the city.

"The palace burned as well..." Owain said, sounding distracted. "Luci, Inigo, you two had better be okay..."

Leo exhaled. "I'm sure that your cousins are okay," he said, though deep down inside, he didn't want to give Owain false hopes if they were dead.

"Lucina the Exalted Light One is the strongest warrior I know outside of my uncle," Owain murmured as he climbed off of Leo's horse so that he could lead them towards the palace. "And Inigo of the Indigo Skies is the luckiest person I have ever met. But I fear that if Grima captured them, then their lives will be forfeit, as mine would have been had those Risen captured me."

Niles's head snapped towards Owain at 'Inigo of the Indigo Skies'. "Well, I'm sure they'll be fine." He looked over at Leo and mouthed 'Laslow of the Indigo Skies'.

Leo's lip curled. That all but proved Laslow's identity. At least at some point, Owain would get to meet up with Laslow (Inigo), and the two of them, at least, would survive. He wasn't sure about Selena, but Owain's description of his cousin Lucina's personality didn't match Selena's at all.

Plus, he had seen Laslow flirting with Selena multiple times. Surely not even Laslow was the sort to flirt with his own sister.

Owain abruptly froze, looking up at the sky and squinting. "Hey, kid, what's wrong?" Niles asked, pulling his bow out and cocking an arrow on it.

"I hear wings..." He muttered, trying to see if he could spot what was causing it. "Pegasus wings, I think. Aside from Risen, only the Ylissean Pegasus Corps ever had Pegasi."

"Pegasus wings..." Leo looked up, trying to see if he could see it as well - whether it was friend or foe - but a Pegasus swooped over the two of them and landed in front of them.

It was thankfully not a Risen, but the girl on the Pegasus looked no older than Owain did. She had a friendly face, and dark brown hair styled into short pigtails, and was carrying a lance. Her eyes lit up when she saw them, leaping off of her Pegasus and running towards them.

"Owain! Owain, you're alive!" She squealed, tackling the blond with a hug.

Owain yelped in surprise as he tumbled to the ground. But almost immediately, he laughed, throwing his arms around her as they sat up. "Cynthia! One of the Chosen for the Justice Cabal! How it warms my heart to see you again!"

"Mm! I'm so happy to see you!" She squeezed him against her. "Lucina has been so frantic what with you and Inigo missing and seeing you is going to have her so relieved!"

"Wait - Inigo is missing?!" Owain said, pulling back from her as his voice raised in panic.

Cynthia deflated. "Yeah... Inigo was out in the city when the Burning happened and the Risen beseiged the town. No one has seen him since, but Lucina's been making a plan with the others to see if we can find him. Between no one knowing what happened to either of you, Lucina has been in a right state. And if you're wondering who's here besides me, Luci, and you, it's just a few of us. Laurent, Kjelle, and Brady. Luci's calling us her 'New Shepherds'."

"New Shepherds..." Owain muttered, and he nodded. "Right. We'll have to find my dear cousin. Is she still in the palace?"

"Yep!" Cynthia smiled at him, glancing behind him and noticing the figures for the first time. "Oh! Owain, who are your friends? Will they come with us?"

"Hello," Leo said, nodding at Cynthia. "My name is Leo, and this is Niles. Please do not mind us. We encountered Owain while we were traveling and decided to help him return to Ylisstol before heading on our way."

"I'm Cynthia! My mother was a Pegasus Knight for Ylisse's Pegasus Corps," she beamed at them. "It's nice to meet you- eek!"

Leo cringed as Cynthia, in full mimicry of Felicia and Arthur, tripped over absolutely nothing and tumbled to the ground. An unfazed Owain leaned down to help her up, and she gave them all a thumbs-up.

"I'm fine, this happens all the time!" she chirped. "I guess you won't be staying?"

"I'm afraid not," Niles said smoothly, hand covering his mouth to hide his laughter. "We'd love to, but we have other places to go and be. We're just glad that Owain was able to get here safe and sound, however."

A shame. Leo could already start to feel the traces of Naga's magic bumping against them, and he knew that she would be pulling them away from this world soon, so this really was their last chance to speak with Owain. He'd hoped to be able to leave him with an adult, but... at least his friend, Cynthia, was here, and from the looks of things, his cousin Lucina and several of their other friends were there.

He wouldn't be alone. Hopefully they would be able to find Inigo, too.

"By the way," Owain said suddenly, glancing back at them. "You two never said where you were from."

Leo almost panicked, but cleared his throat and caught himself in time. "If you ever come across the country of Nohr, Owain, come find us. Once you arrive, I'm sure it will not be too difficult for someone as yourself."

"Nohr..." Owain said, his voice thoughtful, and he nodded. "Understood." He smiled at them, and though he looked like he was going to cry, he darted forward and threw his arms around first Niles, who stumbled back and was clearly resisting the urge to shove Owain away before wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

Niles released Owain, who then, teary-eyed, went to hug Leo. Leo grimaced, though thankfully Owain was unable to see it, and pressed the teen against him. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment about the brilliant mage that was back in Nohr, comparing him to the orphaned teenager in his arms, before he released him.

After taking a deep breath, Owain released them, and gripped Leo's hands for a moment. "Lord Leo, Niles, may Naga's guiding light lead you to safety. Thank you. For everything." He smiled at them, before turning around and climbing onto Cynthia's Pegasus with her.

Leo watched the two of them go, before exhaling and turning back to Niles, gripping his horse's reins. "...He'll be okay, Niles."

Niles hadn't stopped staring after Owain even after he had disappeared. "Yeah. He's tough. He'll be fine." He paused. "Lord Leo, you're fading."

"So I am," Leo mused, glancing down at his body and his horse, which were indeed fading. "You are too, Niles."

"So back we go," Niles chuckled. "Wonder if I can mess around with Odin a little bit."

"Niles."

"Just kidding, milord."

* * *

"Thank you. You've saved the life of one of my dear children, and a dear friend of yours."

That was all that Naga had said to them before she had sent the two of them back home to Nohr. At least she cut to the chase this time.

Leo took a deep breath, feeling the clean air fill his lungs up, and exhaled. Gods, it was good to be back in Nohr. After being in that place, he had never thought that such clean, breathable air would be a luxury. He nodded at Niles, and the two of them headed back to the palace, the guards allowing them in, and after one of them took his horse, lord and retainer went up to Leo's quarters.

Niles slipped away to his own quarters for a moment to take a bath (and Leo wanted a bath, too, given how many days they had spent on the road). Once Leo had finished his own bath, he gave a sigh, feeling much better now that he was clean, and pulled on fresh clothing. A knock came on the door and a maid entered.

"Lord Leo, you've returned!" the maid said, bowing to him. "Will you be requiring any refreshment?"

"No thank you," Leo told her politely, and was about to dismiss her when he paused. "Actually, can you summon Odin to my quarters for me?"

"Yes, milord," the maid said, giving another bow before she scurried off.

Leo took a deep breath before he sat down on his bed. Niles raised an eyebrow as he walked back in, sidestepping the maid (and murmuring something that made her squeak and dart away), and then smirked. "Milord, your collar is inside out."

"What?" Leo blinked, glancing down at his shirt, and gave an aggravated sigh. "Ugh, again? Let me fix it before Odin gets here." After forcing Niles to turn around, he went and did just that. No sooner had he fixed it did he hear the footsteps announcing Odin's arrival.

"Lord Leo!" the jovial, familiar voice called out as the door opened, and Leo felt his stomach jump when he saw his retainer there. Same blond hair, same green eyes, same freckles. He was simply older, and now that Leo could see it, the Brand was missing from his arm - had he hidden it with magic? He had to have hidden it somehow. "You and Niles have returned home after your exploits outside of Windmire! It warms my soul to see you both safe and sound."

"Odin, please sit down," Leo told him, his voice oddly gentle as he gestured to one of the other chairs.

Odin sat, looking curious as to what he had been summoned for, only to let out a surprised yelp as Niles sidled up behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest in a hug, resting his head on his head. "Um... Niles? What are you-"

"Shut up for a second, will you?" Niles murmured, holding him close.

"Give me a moment, Odin. I'm trying to figure out how to say this," Leo told him, rubbing his forehead.

Odin nodded, his jaw closing and making no effort to pull himself away from Niles's arms. "..."

"I just want to say, thank you," Leo finally said.

"Thank you?" Odin blinked. "Er, you're welcome, milord? But for what."

"For keeping your promise, Owain."

For the first time in his life, Leo noted with amusement, that he had rendered Odin speechless. "I... Lord Leo... you and Niles, you both were..."

"It just happened for us, Odin," he said gently. "We were summoned by Naga to help, and the moment we saw you, we knew."

Odin stared at Leo for a moment, and reached up to grip at Niles's arms. "Hah... of course, it would be Naga." He took a deep breath. "I knew it was you two all along when I got to Nohr and tried to enter your service, but I... I never expected..." He blinked again, and a tear made its way down his cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I never would have survived if you two hadn't come for me. You gave me hope during a time that I had none."

"You're welcome," Leo told him, a soft smile on his face. "Your friends, your cousins. Did everything in your time turn out alright?"

"No," Odin muttered, and when he saw their expressions, he shook his head. "Don't worry, milord, Niles. It no longer exists. We rewrote it. I will tell you the tale one day, but there is a happy ending, I swear."

Leo... had no idea what Odin meant by that. But he had promised to tell them the tale someday, and he would hold him to it and allow him to decide when that would be. He was no longer surprised that Odin was quiet about his past, given how horrific the atmosphere had been.

"Your cousin? Inigo? The one that was missing?" Niles prompted, remembering that the other's fate had been uncertain when they'd left. While Leo was certain that Inigo had ended up fine due to his suspicions, hearing the confirmation would be good.

"Inigo was fine, milord," Odin murmured, his smile faint. "He went missing because he was captured by Grima's forces, but someone with a soft spot for children rescued him from Grima's stronghold without knowing who he was. Inigo arrived in Ylisse by himself - they were pursued, but apparently his rescuer refused to surrender him even when he found out he was a Prince, and later stayed behind to ensure he made it back to us."

"And the rest of your friends? Your cousin Lucina, Cynthia, the others she mentioned?"

"All still alive," Odin said, the smile on his face wider. "Er, may I ask that you not breathe a word of this to anyone, milord? Selena will kill me."

"Thank the gods for small mercies," Leo muttered as Niles finally released Odin. "We promise that we won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Also..."

Odin cocked his head in curiosity.

"You don't have to call me 'milord', Odin," Leo said. "You're royalty yourself."

It felt wrong. Now that he knew about Odin, that his retainer was royalty in another place and time, Odin didn't have to address him in that way. They were technically equals.

A grin crossed Odin's face. "Forgive me, milord, but I've gotten used to it. You were the epitome of coolness when my teenage self encountered you and I wanted to do nothing but show you the utmost respect."

Niles laughed as Leo turned his face away from them, his cheeks pink. "Yeah, I remember, you practically had stars in your eyes when Lord Leo started teaching you magic," Niles purred. "You were adorable, Odin." He pinched the other's cheek.

Odin blushed, clearing his throat and swatting at Niles's hands. "I-I am not adorable, I am the paragon of darkness-"

"Yeah, yeah, you moron," Niles said fondly as Leo turned back to them, chuckling. "We know."

* * *

_Timeline: Owain is fourteen, Leo is twenty-four, Niles is twenty-eight, and Odin is twenty-nine. This occurs about a year after Revelation (Fates) and before the children in the Bad Future try to obtain the Gemstones (Awakening)._

_Lack of Dramatic Speech: I love him, he's my son in Awakening and my husband in Fates, but I have such a difficult time writing his style of speech. XD_

_Owain and the Bridge: A reference to Azura and Odin's B-Support. At first glance, this support appears to refer to what happened in Awakening's Future Past DLC... but that was an alternate Owain, not the Owain/Odin that appeared in Fates (as confirmed by Inigo saying that things never got THAT bad in their timeline). Sure, Owain could have been traumatized by seeing what happened to his alternate, but perhaps something else happened. Such as him almost dropping Lissa's ring and needing to retrieve it._

_Henry!Owain: My favorite father for Owain! Especially because I like pairing him with Azura and seeing Shigure inherit Henry's tendencies to befriend animals, seeing Ophelia perform the same body switching spell (Ophelia and Soleil B-Support, Henry and Sumia A-Support) and because I can see Owain's crazy personality, his desire to be a Dark Mage, and obsession with darkness coming from him. Plus I loved Henry and Lissa's Supports._

_Other Parents: The ones implied in the story are Olivia!Lucina, Chrom!Inigo, and Frederick!Cynthia._

_Niles: Apologies for Niles just being sorta... there, I had a difficult time writing him. He's a very observant guy and was paying close attention to everything, but no matter how many lewd comments he would intentionally make to adult-Odin, he would NOT do that to teen-Odin (especially given how he reacted in the Festival Scramble to a Niles!Shigure making comments like that; and yes, I'm ignoring the Niles!Kana Festival Scramble conversation because holy hell that makes me SUPER uncomfortable and is completely opposite to how he reacted to Shigure using dirty language)._

_Dark Knight: Odin ultimately Master Sealed into a Dark Knight in this version of Revelation instead of the more common choice for him, Sorcerer. My excuse is that this allows him to use his beloved swords again without looking suspicious._

_Better Than the Risen: Quoted directly from Leo and Odin's A-Support._

_Inigo's Story: I have a vague outline for what exactly happened to Inigo, who saved him, and how he got away, but nothing substantial._


End file.
